Chapter 44: A Profound Sense of Security

Mo Fei stopped rambling and said, “Boss, someone’s following your sister.” He proceeded to recount how he had arrived at Feifei’s university. Throughout his explanation, Mo Fei referred to her as “your sister” with every sentence, making Lin Fan feel extremely uncomfortable. Though Lin Fan knew perfectly well that Mo Fei was doing it on purpose, he couldn’t find a good excuse to deal with him.

After hearing Mo Fei’s account, Lin Fan gave a few more instructions and hung up. With Mo Fei around, Lin Fan didn’t have to worry about Feifei’s safety. Fortunately, it wasn’t a kidnapping; if it had been, Lin Fan would have rushed out long ago, and he would never be able to stay as calm as he was now.

“If you have things to do, you should go ahead. There’s nothing to worry about here anyway,” Tang Rui said, not quite ready to give Lin Fan her first kiss just yet. She seized the opportunity to make her escape.

Lin Fan understood exactly what Tang Rui was thinking. Seeing her petite, cute, and shy demeanor, he couldn’t bear to let the moment slip by. He pressed his lips together, then grinned, saying, “Don’t worry. Even if the sky falls today, nothing is more important than the two of us.”

Thick-skinned, Lin Fan positioned himself right in front of Tang Rui again. It was the first time she had ever been so close to him. Under his slightly long fringe, Lin Fan’s eyelashes quivered, and the sly smile at the corner of his lips seemed utterly charming to Tang Rui. Actually, he was quite handsome, she admitted to herself.

“Hey, if you don’t make a move, then don’t blame me,” Lin Fan warned, seeing Tang Rui’s flushed face and indecisive expression. He leaned straight toward her lips.

Tang Rui instinctively dodged, and Lin Fan’s kiss landed on her cheek. Her eyes widened in shock, and her whole body tingled as if electrified. She could hardly believe it was real. She’d never even held a boy’s hand before, let alone been kissed by one.

Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open. The assistant stood frozen in the doorway for a moment, then hurriedly apologized, “Sorry, sorry!” and quickly retreated, closing the door behind her.

Tang Rui’s face turned crimson. She hastily pushed Lin Fan away.

“Hey, I said lips, not cheek! Why did you move your face over? That doesn’t count!” Lin Fan shrugged, looking disappointed. His target had been her lips, and now it was her cheek—how could he be satisfied? The feeling was completely different.

“You’re being too much,” Tang Rui snapped, glaring at him for his shamelessness.

“You have absolutely no credibility. Lips and cheeks aren’t the same at all. Do you know how much effort I put in just for this? Never mind, since you don’t want to, I’ve got other things to do. I’ll be leaving.” Lin Fan held up the portable hard drive, his tone cold as he turned to leave.

If Mo Fei were here, he would have seen right through Lin Fan’s act—obviously a calculated retreat. But Tang Rui fell for it. As Lin Fan moved to go, she hesitated and said, “Um… I’m not ready yet. Can we try next time?” Tang Rui understood Lin Fan had struggled to get this done. She knew she hadn’t kept her word. For reasons unknown, she didn’t want him to leave, as if his departure would mean losing something important.

Hearing this, Lin Fan’s lips curled into a conspiratorial smile, his back still to Tang Rui. He was quite pleased with the outcome. He knew he couldn’t push her too hard; if he demanded it now, with her personality, she would refuse. Worse, if she got angry and refused to acknowledge anything, it’d be a huge loss for Lin Fan. He couldn’t just ignore her afterwards. Even if Tang Rui agreed, Lin Fan would never want to give up his dealings with beautiful women—he’d rather die.

“Alright, I hope you’ll keep your word this time,” Lin Fan turned around and said calmly.

Tang Rui thought for a moment, then quietly nodded. She had come to terms with it—her first kiss would have to be given sooner or later, so it hardly mattered to whom.

To this day, Tang Rui still naively believed Lin Fan was the one who had completed the software. If she knew he had done nothing but talk, spent two hours lounging around, and teased her for good measure, who knows how she would react. Lin Fan, of course, would never tell her, at least not now. Perhaps if she became his woman in the future, that might change.

…

Ignoring Lin Fan, Tang Rui pressed the phone and said, “Come in.”

A moment later, the assistant entered, visibly nervous. Having just interrupted Lin Fan and Tang Rui’s intimate moment, she was understandably apprehensive. Fortunately, Tang Rui was not unreasonable, and she hid her emotions well. Her expression had returned to normal as she sat in her chair and said, “Let everyone know they don’t need to work overtime tonight.”

“No overtime? What about the cooperation with IBM?” the assistant asked in surprise.

“Mr. Lin has already taken care of it,” Tang Rui glanced at Lin Fan beside her. “Alright, go tell everyone. Once we finalize the deal with IBM, I’ll treat the whole team to dinner.”

The assistant was stunned. Lin Fan had only used her computer for a short while, yet he had solved a problem that had stumped the company's specialists for months. It was almost unbelievable. Her admiration for Lin Fan surged—no wonder he was President Lin’s brother. He really was capable, unlike some privileged heirs who know nothing. Perhaps only someone like him was worthy of President Tang. She acknowledged the instructions and left the office.

After the assistant left, Tang Rui finally asked the question she had been pondering: “How did you do it? Sister Lin said you don’t know anything about this stuff, and you’ve never concerned yourself with anything at Zhentian Group. You’re basically a hands-off boss. Don’t tell me you just guessed.”

“You believe everything my sister says?” Lin Fan rolled his eyes. “Remember to come home tonight. I have something to take care of,” he glanced at his watch, his expression serious, refusing to elaborate further.

Seeing Lin Fan’s reluctance, Tang Rui didn’t press the issue and simply responded with an “oh.” Watching his departing figure, Tang Rui suddenly found herself curious about this man. After spending the day with him, she discovered that Lin Fan could be quite the rascal at times, yet also very masculine and comforting. In the conference room, a few simple words and a glance from Lin Fan had filled her with courage and confidence.

Being with him, she never knew what astonishing words or actions he would come up with next, but as long as he was by her side—even in silence—Tang Rui felt a profound sense of security…

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